(57) A semiconductor integrated circuit capable of protection from card hacking, by which
erroneous actions are actively induced by irradiation with light and protected secret
information is illegitimately acquired, is to be provided. Photodetectors, configured
by a standard logic process, hardly distinguishable from other circuits and consumes
very little standby power, are mounted on a semiconductor integrated circuit, such
as an IC card microcomputer. Each of the photodetectors, for instance, has a configuration
in which a first state is held in a static latch by its initializing action and reversal
to a second state takes place when semiconductor elements in a state of non-conduction,
constituting the static latch of the first state, is irradiated with light. A plurality
of photodetectors are arranged in a memory cell array. By incorporating the static
latch type photodetector into the memory array, they can be arranged inconspicuously.
Reverse engineering by irradiation with light can be effectively prevented.
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